London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Easyjet passengers could notice something in the air next time they fly on the budget airline: it’s testing a new fan system to improve onboard air quality and help cut its fuel bill.

The carrier is fitting four A320 jets with the Zonal Dryer system, whose fan, heater and a moisture-absorbing rotor channels dry air towards the crown area of the aircraft, above passengers’ heads.

It’s supposed to cut excess moisture by up to 250kg on each flight, the equivalent of 12 hold bags, potentially saving 4.5 million kg of fuel per year if easyJet rolls the system out to all its planes. That could help cut the airline’s £1.2 billion annual fuel bill.